Hardener plate or apparatus for treating felt



w. 0-. STREET HARDENER PLATE OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FELT Aug. '18, 1942.

Filed March 18, 1941 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR:

WILL/HM OPENSHRW 57 2557 Q/M4 nr-roansy Aug. 18, 1942. w. o. STREET 2,293,223

HARDENER EL ATE OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FELT Filed March 18, 1941 r 2'Sheets-Sheet'2 IN VEN TOR:

WILL/rm DPENSHHW Srassr HTTORNE longitudinally and laterally,

Patented Aug. 18, 1942 UNITED STA'itl-Zfi ATENT OFFIQE HARDENER PLATE OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING FELT William Openshaw Street, Bury, England 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a hardener plate or chest, that is, an apparatus for treating felt for hardening or felting purposes.

It is distinguished in that an apparatus is produced capable of being used (1) as a steam chest from which steam is liberated to the felt to be treated, (2) as a combined steaming and heating chest, (3) as a heating chest only.

Consequently an apparatus is available by which any of the several indicated treatments for the kind of felt to be dealt with, or the result desired from time to time, can be effected.

Apparatus as indicated above, and according to the invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a broken View of a hardener plate or chest according to the invention, that portion on the left-hand being in outside elevation, and that on the right-hand in, section.

Fig. 2 shows a modification indicating two of the hereinafter described hardener plates or chests arranged in juxta-position, one being inverted with respect to the other so that two such hardener plates or chests may co-operate if desired.

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of the hardener plate or chest looking on the face thereof.

The hardener plate or chest is advantageously made in two halves or sections, which halves or sections are in the form of shallow boxes or flat hollow vessels a, b, of considerable size. These hollow vessels are provided with flanges (1 b the upper hollow vessel a being inverted with respect to the lower. Between the lower flanged hollow vessel b and the upper inverted flanged vessel a, a steel plate or partition is fitted and held as to its margins by the abutting flanges :13, b of the combining hollow vessels 0., I), packings 0 being introduced between the flanges a b The said hollow vessels a, b, are clamped or held together as by studs 0 or in other ordinary way. As a result, a combination hardener plate or chest is produced with the steel plate or partition c sandwiched between or separating the upper and lower vessels and whereby is constituted two compartments, one superposed with respect to the other.

stiffening devices or ribs arranged at intervals, such as marked 0 may lend additional support to the steel plate or partition 0.

As regards the face of the upper compartment of the combination hardener plate or chest, this is bored at sufficiently closely pitched intervals, and open-ended CJI brass or like nozzles or jets or tubes such as the nozzles marked 01 are applied, each having its lower extremity screwed into or fixed to the steel plate or partition 0, or being otherwise fixed in obvious way, such nozzles or the like establishing communication between the interior of the lower compartment or hollow vessel b and the upper or outer face A of the upper compartment of the hollow vessel a of the hardener apparatus.

Leading into the aforementioned upper and lower compartments are steam pipes e, e the interior lengths of which are perforated, as indicated at e e and valves e e or known control devices are fitted for controlling steam supply.

As a result of the described apparatus, a compound felt hardener chest is produced, that is,

a chest with a lower and upper compartment with intermediate plate or partition into or in connection with which spaced nozzles, or tubes, I

are fixed interconnecting the interior of the lower compartment with the outer face of the upper or superposed compartment, it being appreciated that there are steam inlet pipes leading into and capable of being controlled in connection with both lower and upper compartment.

To use the hardener apparatus merely as a steam chest only, the steam supply to the upper compartment is shut off by closing the valves e and the steam supply to the lower compartment is turned on by opening the valves e Consequently, steam under pressure is liberated in such lower compartment and passes through the nozzles or tubes at and is discharged at the numerous spaced outlets and distributed upwards over the face A of the upper compartment.

To use the hardener apparatus as a steaming and heating chest combined, the steam control valves for the steam pipes e, e are turned on to supply steam to both compartments.

In order to use the hardener apparatus as a heating chest only, the steam supply to the lower compartment is shut off, by closing the valves e whilst those for thesteam pipes to the upper compartment are turned on, and therefore the operative surface A of the upper compartment is heated.

Thus, with the hardener apparatus described, the felt can be, either, (1) merely steam treated, (2) steamed and heated, or (3) merely heated. It therefore follows, that an operator can effect whatever treatment is most desirable according to requirements, and this by merely manipulating the steam control valves e e The hardener apparatus described might be used in juxta-position or in combination with the ordinary steaming chests over which the Woollen layer or felt body to be treated would first pass.

If desired both a complete bottom and a top hardener apparatus of the character fully described may be used in combination, the second apparatus being inverted with respect to the first, so that when dealing with a thick felt or where rapid treatment is desired the steam could operate top and bottom of the felt and if need be along with the heat treatment, or the heat treatment alone could take place as to both faces, and one apparatus may be movably supported to permit of raising out of the way, or lowering, or adjustment.

Such a double or duplex arrangement of the described hardener apparatus is diagrammatically indicated at Fig. 2, the same reference letters being used to denote similar parts to what are shown in the Figs. 1 and 3, and raising or adjusting supports for the upper apparatus are conventionally indicated and lettered 1'.

The temperature of the hardener apparatus may be governed by thermostatic control in known manner and the actual contact face A of the plate shaped to assist easy movement of the felt when under treatment.

Also the apparatus can be fitted with any requisite safety devices of known character and with means for automatically or otherwise permitting the draining away of condensation water, and drainage outlets are indicated by the reference letters f, J in Fig. 1.

In dealing with thick felt, the period of time requisite for satisfactory treatment is reduced.

Lower grade quality of fibrous material can be used and satisfactory results obtained.

Treatment by the described apparatus results in an improved finish being given to the felts.

I declare that what I claim is:

1. A hardener plate for treating felt for hardening or felting purposes comprising a shallow vessel, a second shallow vessel adapted to combine therewith, spaced apertures in the first mentioned shallow vessel, a partition intermediate the said shallow vessels, means to interconnect said shallow vessels and to fix the partition, nozzles or jets attached to the partition, said nozzles or jets having their outer ends adapted to fit the apertures in the first mentioned shallow vessel, means to supply steam to the shallow vessels, and means to control the admission of steam to said shallow vessels, and drainage provision from the shallow Vessels, all to permit the apparatus to be used either (1) as a steam chest from which steam can be liberated (2) as a combined steaming and heating chest, (3) as a heating chest only.

2. Hardener plate apparatus for treating felt for hardening or felting purposes as claimed in claim 1 and further distinguished in that two such structures as claimed therein are used in combination, the one being inverted with respect to the other, the said two structures being adapted to co-operate one with the other to enable both sides of the felt to be simultaneously treated either to (1) steam, (2) to steam and heat, or (3) heat.

3. Hardener plate apparatus for treating felt for hardening or felting purposes including a shallow vessel, a second shallow vessel combined therewith, spaced apertures in the face of the first mentioned shallow vessel, a partition intermediate the said shallow vessels, means to clamp said partition between said shallow vessels, spaced nozzles or jets attached at one end to said partition, the other ends occupying the aforesaid spaced apertures in the face of the first mentioned shallow vessel, steam pipes leading into the shallow vessels and discharging therein, control valves for the steam supply and drainage provision from the shallow vessels, all to permit the apparatus to be used either (1) as a steam chest from which steam can be liberated, (2) as a combined steaming and heating chest, (3) as a heating chest only, as set forth.

WILLIAM OPENSHAW STREET. 

